Mercedes AMG Petronas’s start to the 2024 Formula One season wasn’t necessarily a smooth sail, with the hybrid-era giants being forced to anticipate their worst season since 2012. While George Russell was nowhere near the podium contenders, Lewis Hamilton was further behind his British teammate, fighting his own battles in the midfield. However, a miracle has struck in favor of the eight-time world champions!
After a brilliant couple of outings in Monaco and Canada, the dynamic Mercedes duo produced yet another powerful performance in the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying; both Hamilton and Russell overpowered their rivals, Ferrari, to secure the second row of the grid for Sunday’s main race. The seven-time world champion will start from P3 and Russell from P4. Amidst such a dramatic turnaround, only one question has been lurking among the motorsport community.
SECOND ROW LOCK OUT 🔓 Two great laps from Lewis and George 👏
All to play for tomorrow ➡️ pic.twitter.com/q19THoW65x
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 22, 2024
What has triggered this enormous performance boost from Mercedes? Well, it all started with Mercedes’ upgrades ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, the same upgrades that eventually caught Red Bull’s attention. What’s more, Christian Horner also ended up urging the FIA to launch an investigation into the legality of the controversial upgrade package.
How Mercedes turned up the heat at the 2024 Spanish GP
Mercedes weren’t necessarily favorites for the race weekend in Barcelona. However, their string of upgrades since Monaco proved otherwise. Here’s a timeline of Mercedes’ upgrades that propelled them to the top. Toto Wolff and Co. unveiled a revamped front wing for the Monaco GP. While the upgrade didn’t have an instant impact on either of the cars, it did offer a significant boost at the succeeding race weekend in Montreal.
The entire race weekend in Montreal witnessed both the drivers sniffing a race victory, with Russell claiming an insane pole position. However, the oscillating track and air temperature hindered their chances of converting the pole to a race victory. Nevertheless, it’s not all over for Mercedes. In fact, if anything, it feels like a start for the Brackley outfit.
Hard fought and so good to be in the fight 💪 pic.twitter.com/QHX7KbPHbk
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 9, 2024
Ahead of the Spanish GP, Wolff openly admitted that Mercedes had introduced some hidden upgrades to the car, none of which even reflected in the FIA’s upgrade document. Turns out, the upgrades didn’t affect either the shape or the size of the particular part. Hence, the governing body wasn’t obligated to reveal them in its document.
But, where are these mysterious upgrades in the W15? Well, according to reports, Mercedes have built a lighter floor. And this may have earned the team a tenth of a second at most. Overall, Mercedes has done an impressive job thus far, but, the big question is, can they continue in this trajectory and join the title race? Only time will tell.
Sara Chavan